Congressman Michael Capuano’s Office Phone Is Being ‘Spoofed’
U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano Photo by Olga Khvan
Massachusetts congressman Michael Capuano is tired of dealing with a prankster who has been using his office phone’s number to make inappropriate calls.
In an odd Crank Yankers meets Catfish scenario, Capuano’s Washington, D.C. line has been “spoofed,” meaning someone has disguised their phone’s ID to appear as if calls are coming from the congressman’s office.
The unknown person has been calling up people around the country to make lewd comments and even attempting to sell drugs, according to the Boston Globe.
Capuano took to his Facebook page on Monday to clear the air as well as to apologize to any of his constituents who may have been inconvenienced by the incident.
In an interview with WBZ NewsRadio, Capuano couldn’t come up with a logical reason why someone would pull the prank.
“First of all, it’s like, okay, is this some kind of a scam to raise money?” Capuano said. “Is this ransomware? I have no idea. Even as I stand here now, about a week later from when it originally started, I still don’t understand the purpose.”
According to the Facebook post, Capuano has reported the matter to the U.S. Capitol Police since spoofing is considered a federal crime under the Truth in Caller ID Act. The incident is also being investigated by the FCC.
